The invention concerns an implement designed to dry and to recover a cleaning liquid present on a surface, such as a glazed surface, for example, or even a floor, said liquid is a cleaning product and/or condensed vapor containing dirt previously or simultaneously dissolved and dispersed. It comprises a flexible blade of a type known in itself for drying the liquid, as found on many cleaning implements, squeegees and bladed cleaning devices, on which is mounted a capillary substrate for recovering the liquid. The thin and flexible blade has a linear leading edge adapted to scrape the smooth surface and co-operates with the substrate for collecting the bead of liquid that forms under the inside face of the blade as it moves over the surface. Said recovery and drying system can be used on any type of squeegee and surface cleaning device.
In the case of cleaning vertical glazed surfaces, with a conventional single squeegee having a flexible blade, as the squeegee is moved said blade scrapes the liquid film and accumulates along its leading edge a bead of liquid including dirt previously taken up into suspension by mechanical and detergent action (for example with a sponge and a detergent). This bead of liquid remains under the blade for as long as the surface tension forces compensate the weight of the bead. If this equilibrium is broken, in particular on the arrival of the continuous flow produced by the forward movement of the blade, the bead grows and breaks up, and any runs that are not intercepted flow over the frame and then over the wall and floor.
The liquid capture device must simultaneously solve the problems of engorgement by the inflow of dirty liquid, preserving the equilibrium of the bead of liquid moving with the drying blade, preventing the bead from running, preventing runs on the surface to be cleaned, and preventing smearing by the edges of the blade. It is obvious that the dirt must previously have been entirely taken up in suspension and/or dispersed in the liquid to be dried, whether by manual mechanical action or by spraying vapor and detergent product, as the drying implement is not designed to fulfil this function.
Consumers, housewives and other non-professionals, use these squeegees after performing a mechanical action with a mop, a sponge, etc. impregnated with a detergent solution to dissolve and disperse the dirt present on the surface.
It is also impossible to dry without leaving smears because they do not have the skills of the professional window cleaner. Each time they put the drying lip back on the part of the window that it has already dried, for another pass, because the blade is already wet on the other side of its leading edge it leaves a smear. Moreover, on each new pass, the leading edge of the bead of liquid produces not only runs due to the breaking of the equilibrium of said bead, but also leaks of dirty liquid at the ends of the lip, leaving other large and continuous smears, above the squeegee, which must be removed with a cloth. Prior art electromechanical systems have solved some of these problems, but have given rise to others that are unacceptable and which are extremely costly, in particular for consumer use. Pump systems are necessarily provided with a suction unit level with the drying blade. Even if it is bevelled, this unit prevents complete drying of the window near the frame because the unit abuts thereagainst, which is unacceptable. The same applies to glass doors and other surfaces, because it is not possible to circumvent everything projecting from the vertical or horizontal surfaces, handles, hinges, etc. This phenomenon is accentuated when using a long rod to work high up because of the reduced angle of attack of the blade, which renders it unusable. The bottom of the window and the frame then have to be finished off manually with a cloth, which is also unacceptable. Electrical equipment of this kind imposes the additional handicap of using a battery or a long electrical power supply cable. Also, it is not possible to move a squeegee of this kind in the horizontal direction without leaving linear smears.
Other, low-cost techniques known in themselves use a sponge disposed under the drying blade of the squeegee. They do not solve the problem of correct drying of the surface: smears at the edges of the lip on each new pass and leaks from the lateral edges of the lip and the bottom edge of the glass because of the thickness of the sponge. Furthermore, because the sponge touches the glass, it produces very high friction forces that stop the physical-chemical action of sliding of the lip over the glass, which makes the squeegee impossible to handle.